Locally storing biological specimen data to a slide
An apparatus, system and method for analyzing biological specimens, including storing data relating to the analysis in a read/write data storage device attached to specimen carrier. The data storage device can be a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag, a magnetic device, or a an optical device.
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This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/656,092, filed Sep. 5, 2003, now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 7,083,106, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention relates to the analysis of biological specimens, and more particularly to storing and accessing data on a data storage device attached to a specimen carrier.
DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ARTMedical professionals and technicians often review biological specimens placed on viewing slides to analyze whether a patient has or may have a particular medical condition or disease. For example, a cytological specimen is examined to detect malignant or pre-malignant cells as part of a Papanicolaou (Pap) smear test and other cancer detection tests. To facilitate this review process, automated systems have been developed that focus the technician's attention on the most pertinent cells or groups of cells, while discarding less relevant cells from further review.
A typical automated system includes an imaging system and an automated optical microscope or review scope. The imaging system scans the specimen and generates images of sections of the specimen. These images are processed to identify the cells and cell clusters that are of diagnostic interest, which in some systems includes identifying those cells mostly likely have attributes consistent with malignant or pre-malignant cells, and their locations (x-y coordinates) on the slide. This information x-y coordinate information is provided to the microscope, which sequentially steps through the identified x-y coordinates, placing the cells or clusters of cells within the field of view of the technician. During the review, the technician may identify specific sections or images of the specimen that appear to be malignant or raise other concerns. These identified sections can be marked by the technician for further review.
X-Y coordinate data related to the analysis is transmitted to an external storage component, such as a database or server, that is accessed through an Ethernet or other network connection or to storage media, such as a Compact Disc (CD). Each patient test slide is assigned an identification number or other identifier. The slide is marked with the identification number, or a label with the identifier is applied to the slides For example, a bar-code label with the identifier is applied to the slide or the technician can manually write the identifier on the slide using a marker.
The same identifier or number is used as a pointer in the database to link the stored images and data to the corresponding slide or specimen. For example, the identification number, reference coordinates, coordinates of specimen sections identified by the imaging system, and coordinates of specimen sections marked by a technician are transmitted by the imaging system or review scope over the network and to the database referenced by the identifier. The technician also connects to the database through the network to review or update the stored data.
Current data storage and management systems for biological specimens, however, can be improved. For example, a technician should be able to access slide and specimen data directly, without having to access and download data from an external database via a network External databases and networks of conventional systems can also create problems if the database or network is temporarily inoperable. For example, the analysis of the specimen and reporting of the test results to concerned patients can be delayed as a result of database or network malfunctions or maintenance.
Storage capabilities and read/write options can also be improved. For example, a bar-code typically stores limited amounts of information, and even less information can be stored by manually marking a slide. Further, conventional systems typically are not able to overwrite or supplement existing data with new data. For example, with a bar-code, a technician may be required to print a new bar-code. With hand-written text or numbers, the old data is crossed out, and new data is written over the crossed-out data. Otherwise, a new slide must be prepared. These steps are inconvenient and time consuming.
Further, retrieving data from and storing data to an external database is inefficient compared to accessing data directly. Storage media, such as CDs, can also be misplaced or damaged, resulting in lost data and analysis. These shortcomings are amplified when hundreds or thousands of specimen slides are examined, as is often done by technicians and pathologists on a daily basis.
As a result of these shortcomings, the costs associated with analyzing a specimen are increased due to the database and network equipment and longer analysis times. Further, lost or destroyed data can result in repeated testing, increased processing times and inaccurate results. Databases and networks for storing slide and specimen data are also limiting since a technician is confined to conducting the analysis at a particular location that includes a particular imaging system and an optical microscope that are configured for network and database access.
In particular, it would be desirable to enable a technician to quickly and easily identify the sections of the specimen that warrant further analysis, regardless of the type of imaging and analysis equipment being used, and without dependence on the availability of a database and network connection.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONIn accordance with one aspect of the invention, apparatus for analyzing a biological specimen is provided with a means for locally storing data related to a biological specimen and/or its analysis. In one embodiment, the apparatus includes a biological specimen carrier, such as a slide, vial, bottle, or other container, and a read/write data storage device that is attached to the carrier. Data relating to the specimen and/or analysis of the specimen may be stored in, and be accessible from, the data storage device.
Other and further aspects and embodiments of the invention are described herein and will become apparent upon review of the following detailed description and drawings.
Referring now to the drawings in which like reference numbers represent corresponding parts throughout, and in which:
Embodiments of a system and apparatus for providing necessary specimen and analysis information to a technician in an efficient manners while eliminating the need to access such data through an external database and network, will now be described. The described system and apparatus allow for locally storing sufficient information on a biological specimen carrier to enable a technician to quickly and easily identify the sections of the specimen that warrant further analysis and allow the information on the slide to be locally updated as needed. In the following description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which show by way of illustration specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized as various changes may be made without departing from the scope of the invention.
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For example, the biological specimen carrier 110 can be a slide as shown in the Figures, such as a glass or plastic slide. The biological specimen carrier can also be a bottle, a vial, or other containers and objects for holding, storing or supporting a biological specimen. The biological specimen 120 can be a human cytological specimen that is analyzed to identify cancerous conditions or other medical conditions. The specimen 120 can also be an animal specimen that is analyzed by a veterinarian. For ease in illustration, the embodiments are described with reference to cytological (e.g., PAP smear) and other cancer-related specimens 120 of human patients on a slide. However, it should be appreciated that the invention is not so limited and can be utilized with the collection and analysis of various other specimens and biological specimen carriers.
Various types of data storage devices 130 can be used. The data storage device 130 can be a read-only or a read/write storage device and store different types of data. Exemplary data storage devices include, for example, a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag, and magnetic and optical storage devices and media. The data can include, but is not limited to, data relating to the biological specimen specific sections of the specimen, the carrier, the patient, the imaging equipment, the review or analysis equipment, and time and date data. Persons of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that other data can be stored to the storage device 130 depending on the particular patient, test, and analysis being performed. With this configuration, data can be locally stored in the data storage device 130 on the slide 110 and be accessed directly from the data storage device 130 without accessing an external database via a network connection. As a result, the data is readily available to a technician, and the specimen 120 can be analyzed more quickly and efficiently which, in turn, reduces the time and costs associated with PAP smears and other cancer analyses. Further, the apparatus 100 provides flexibility in the selection of the imaging arid review equipment. For examples preferred embodiments of the invention allow for imaging and analysis of the specimen 120 to be conducted with various review and analysis equipment since it is not necessary to utilize specific imaging and analysis equipment that are proximately located or configured for a particular database and network connection.
Further, the data storage device 130 can be attached to different sections or locations of the slide 100. For example, the data storage device 130 can be attached to a top surface 111, a bottom surface 112, a first side 113, a second or opposite side 114, a first edge 115, a second or opposite edge 116 and end sections 117. Top surfaces of some slides include “frosted” end sections 117 that provide higher friction surfaces and allow a technician to handle the slide more easily. As shown in
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Data storage devices 130 can include different amounts of memory to store different quantities of data. Further, data storage devices can be configured to write and/or read data to/from the data storage device in the even that stored data is to be updated or supplemented. Thus, embodiments of present invention provide enhanced data storage capabilities and read/write options.
Having described various exemplary data storage devices 230 that can be used with the apparatus 100,
The imaging system 610 scans the specimen 120 and generates or prepares a series of images 630 of sections of the specimen 120 utilizing, for example, a software program 612. The system 600 can also include if necessary, a filter or processor 640 that eliminates extraneous data from the images 630 before they are reviewed using the microscope 620. Different types of information and data related to the imaging system 610 can be recorded to the data storage device 230 including, but not limited to, a slide, patient or specimen identifier 650 (if not assigned already), such as an alpha, numeric, or alpha-numeric identifier, imaging system identifier 651, a timestamp 652 representing a date and time that the images 630 were generated with the imaging system 610, a version 653 of the imaging system software 612 that was used to generate the images 630, and coordinates (x,y) of Fields Of Interest (FOIs) 654, described below.
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The imaging system 610 also processes or analyzes images 630 1s to identify and select images having cells and cell clusters that most likely have attributes that warrant further consideration by a Cytotechnologist. In one embodiment, these attributes may be those that are consistent with malignant or pre-malignant cells. In either case, these identified cells may be referred to as Objects of Interest (OOI) 710. The image analysis can be performed using, for example, a processor implemented program. One or more OOIs 710 can be organized within a defined boundary or Field Of Interest (FOI) 720. A FOI 720 can be defined in various ways and with various geometries to include different numbers of OOIs 710. For example, a FOI 720 can have shapes and dimensions, such as rectangles, ellipses, triangles, and polygons, that cover different portions of the specimen 120 and different numbers of OOIs 710.
An OOI 710 can be assigned to a FOI 720 based on different criteria. For example, an OOI 710 can be assigned to an FOI 720 if the subject OOI 710 was not previously assigned to an FOI 720. An FOI 720 can also be defined to include all of the OOIs 710, or to maximize or minimize the number of OOIs 720 in a limited FOI 720. OOIs 710 can also be ranked based on, for example, the likelihood that the OOI 710 includes cells of diagnostic interest, and can be selected for inclusion in a particular FOI 720 based on the ranking. In one embodiment, the analysis system 610 establishes 22 FOIs 720, i.e., 22 (X,Y) coordinates relative to the reference coordinate system 700, that identify or define the FOIs 720 with one or more OOIs 710.
A technician analyzes the OOIs 710 organized or allocated to the 22 FOIs 720 with the microscope 620, which proceeds or steps through the x-y coordinates of each FOI 720 identified by the imaging system 610 and places them within the field of view of the technician. In a preferred embodiment, the order in which FOIs are presented for review is governed by a version of a so-called “traveling salesman” algorithm, resulting in the least amount of movement of the microscope stage. During the review, the technician may identify specific FOIs 720 that are likely to contain malignant or pre-malignant cells or raise other concerns. The coordinates of these identified FOIs 720 can be marked or highlighted by the technician and are referred to as Marked Target Zones (MTZs) 730
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The previously described apparatus, system and method embodiments of the invention provide a number of enhancements to conventional test slides, slide imaging and analysis systems, and analysis processes, which eliminate the need to access an external database or separate media device such as a CD, to retrieve necessary slide, specimen or analysis data. Instead, these embodiments of the invention allow a technician to directly access pertinent carrier and specimen data that is stored locally on the slide. As a result, a technician can analyze specimen images more efficiently. Further, since the slide with a data storage device can serve as a “self-contained database,” the slides can be moved between laboratories and be analyzed in different locations without the restrictions associated with external databases and network equipment. The data stored on the slide can also be supplemented and updated as needed.
Persons of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that aspects of the invention can be modified in various ways. For example, other data storage devices can be attached to a slide to store pertinent slide and specimen data. Further, such embodiments allow various types and quantities of data to be locally stored on the slide. Accordingly, persons of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the invention is not limited to the particular exemplary embodiments described and illustrated, but that insubstantial modifications, alterations, and substitutions can be made to the described embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention, as recited in the accompanying claims.
Claims
1. An apparatus for analysis of a cytological specimen, comprising:
- a cytological specimen carrier; and
- a read/write data storage device attached to the carrier, the read/write data storage device comprising a radio frequency identification device,
- wherein data comprises coordinate data comprising one or more of objects of interest, fields of interest, and marked target zones related to cellular analysis of the cytological specimen carried in or on the carrier which may be stored in, and retrieved from, the data storage device.
2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the cytological specimen carrier is a slide.
3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the RFID device is embedded within a label affixed to the cytological specimen carrier.
4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the RFID device is secured to the cytological specimen carrier with a protective coating over at least a portion of the RFID device.
5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the RFID device is secured to the cytological specimen carrier with an adhesive.
6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the read/write data storage device also stores data corresponding to one or more of: slide identifier data, patient identifier data, specimen identifier data, imaging system identifier data, timestamp data, imaging system software data.
7. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a data reader device configured to wirelessly read and write data to the radio frequency identification device.
8. A system for analyzing a cytological specimen comprising:
- a cytological specimen carrier;
- a read/write data storage device attached to the carrier, the read/write data storage device comprising a radio frequency identification device, wherein coordinate data comprising one or more of objects of interest, fields of interest, and marked target zones related to cellular analysis of the cytological specimen carried in or on the carrier may be stored in, and retrieved from, the data storage device;
- a reader configured to wirelessly read and write data to the radio frequency identification device;
- an imaging device configured to obtain an image of the cytological specimen; and
- an image reviewer configured to review the image of the cytological specimen.
9. The system of claim 8, further comprising a processor configured to filter extraneous data from the image prior to review of the image on the image reviewer.
10. A method for analyzing a cytological specimen comprising:
- providing a cytological specimen carrier having a read/write data storage device attached to the carrier, the read/write data storage element comprising a radio frequency identification device, the specimen carrier carrying the cytological specimen;
- imaging the specimen;
- storing coordinate data comprising one or more of objects of interest, fields of interest, and marked target zones related to cellular analysis of the cytological specimen in the read/write data storage device, the data obtained at least in part based on the imaging of the cytological specimen; and
- retrieving the data from the read/write data storage device using a reader configured to wirelessly read and write data to the radio frequency identification device.
11. The method of claim 10, wherein the stored data further comprises one or more of: slide identifier data, patient identifier data, specimen identifier data, imaging system identifier data, timestamp data, imaging system software data.
12. The method of claim 10, further comprising the step of updating the stored data with the wireless reader.
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Type: Grant
Filed: Jun 12, 2006
Date of Patent: Jul 8, 2008
Patent Publication Number: 20060219795
Assignee: Cytyc Corporation (Marlborough, MA)
Inventor: Peter Albany (Groton, MA)
Primary Examiner: Seung H Lee
Attorney: Vista IP Law Group LLP
Application Number: 11/423,660
International Classification: G06K 19/06 (20060101);